John m



(No Model.)

J. M. PERKINS.

Carriage S t.

No. 240,177@ Patented April 12,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. PERKINS, OF ASBUBY, NEW JERSEY.

CARRIAGE-SEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,177, dated April 12, 1881.

Application filed September3,1880. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN M. PERKINS, of Asbury, in the county of W'arren and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Carriage-Seats, of which the followin g is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a seat which shall possess in a marked degree the qualities of cheapness, strength, elasticity, and lightness; and to this end it consists in the peculiar construction hereinafter described.

The back and ends of the seat are constructed in one piece or sheet composed of several layers of veneer cemented together and bent into shape. The lower edge of the back and ends are seated obliquely, or with an inclination into a groove in a base'frame, and secured at the front in grooved handles, which are also fastened firmly to the base in such manner as to fasten the parts firmly together. The upper edge of the back is seated in a grooved binding or edging strip.-

The above construction and combination of parts produces a very neat, strong, and elastic seat.

Figure 1 represents a top-plan view of my seat; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same on the line as m; Fig. 3, a view of one of the handles detached; Fig. 4, aview showing the manner in which the corners of the base-frame are united; Fig. 5, a sectional view, showing a modification; Fig. 6, a view' showing the blank or sheet from which the back and ends are formed.

A represents the base-frame, made as usual, in a rectangular form, and having its side and cross pieces united at the corners, in the manner represented in Fig. 4, by means of joggles introduced diagonally into the corners to connect the abutting mitered ends of the parts. By mitering the parts together and introducing the joggles in the peculiar position shown a very strong and rigid frame is produced. The rear edge and the two ends of the baseframe are provided with an undercut groove, a, as shown in the drawings, the base of the groove being horizontal, or substantially so,

while thGsSldG inclines inward toward the base to conformto the outward flare or inclinatio of the seat-back.

The back and ends of the seat (represented at B) are made complete in one piece or sheet, cut in the form represented in Fig. 6, and then bent and pressed permanently into the shape required. The sheet or blank is composed of several layers of veneer, having their grain arranged in difierent directions, cemented firmly and solidly together. Thin sheets of woven or other fibrous material, or of sheet metal, may be combined with and laid between the veneers if desired. After the sheet is formed and out to the required shape it is bent into form to fit the base-frame and its lower edge seated solidly in the grooveain the edge of the frame. It is preferred to glue, nail, or otherwise secure the back in the groove; but this is not necessary, as the other attachments of the back, hereinafter described, will keep it in place.

The ends of the back portion, B, are inserted into grooves in metal handles 0, such as shown in Fig. 3, and are riveted or otherwise secured firmly therein. The handles are made, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, with arms or flanges, which are secured firmly and rigidly to the front of the base-frame. The handles thus applied serve to hold the ends down to their place, and also hold the entire back forward to its place, so that it can under no circumstances escape from the groove in the frame. The handles also serve, by embracing the ends, to protect and strengthen them and prevent the laminae from separating.

To the upper edge of the back and ends I apply a continuous grooved wooden strip, E, and secure the same in place by rivets or otherwise, taking care at the same time to have the joint made very close and filled with cement, shellac, or other material which will prevent the entrance of moisture. This strip or binding serves to give a smoothness and finish to the edge, to prevent the lamina from separating under the effects of heat and moisture, and to give the required stilfness to the back. In preparing. the binding-strip it is first bent to the exact form required, and the groove out therein by suitable tools while it is in the bent condition. This is found to be necessary in order to secure a proper fit between the parts.

By my method of constructing and uniting the parts 1 secure lightness, elasticity, and cheapness.

The laminated back, constructed, applied, and secured as shown, will resist severe strains and shocks, and, unlike other wooden backs, will not check and warp under the influence of the elements.

I am aware that it is common to use compound veneer-board in the construction of car riages, that a handle has been designed to connect the metal end of the seat with a baseframe, that a corrugated metal body has been provided with a binding in such manner that an open space was left in the binding around the edges of the body, and that joggles or dowels have been introduced diagonally into ,frames; but I am not aware that any one has hitherto combined, constructed, or arranged the various elements in the manner shown in the accompanying drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of the base-frame havin g the undercut groove in its edge, the hack and end piece having the lower edge seated in the groove, and the handles secured firmly to and connecting the ends and the frame, whereby the back and ends are retained in the groove, as described and shown.

2. The wagonseat having its back and ends composed of thin sheets cemented together, with the upper edge stiffened, protected, and bound together by the grooved strip E, applied in such manner as to produce a Water-tight joint.

3. As an improvement in the construction of wagon-seats, the combination of a continuous back and end piece, B, composed of layers of veneer cemented together and bent into shape, and the continuous grooved wooden binding applied and cemented to the edge in such manner as to exclude water therefrom.

4. The combination of the base-frame A, the continuous laminated back and ends, and the grooved handle embracing or clasping the ends, and secured firmly thereto and to the base-frame.

5. The seat composed of the grooved baseframe, the laminated back and ends in one sheet, the grooved binding, and the handles, all constructed and united as described and shown.

J ANES N. CARING, L. D. DoDDs. 

